Sara Thomas

Oct. 13, 2016

Nearly 1,400 rhinos were slaughtered across Africa last year.

Rhinos are killed with one purpose: to cut off their horns for illegal wildlife trade. This is unacceptable.

The rhino-poaching crisis erupted in 2006 when a rumor began circulating in Vietnam that rhino horn cures cancer. It doesn't. From there, it quickly became even more in demand as a status symbol when rhino horn began to be gifted to show wealth and power. In just a few years, the last known wild rhino in Vietnam—belonging to a rare Asian species—was found dead with its horn hacked off.

Poaching of rhinos in Africa continues unabated, despite intense efforts by many African governments to combat it. Vietnam's government has done almost nothing to end the slaughter, although a directive on wildlife crime from the Prime Minister to law enforcement in September was a promising first step.